The Boy Scouts Vote To Allow Gay Youth

But adult gay scouts are still banned.

With a vote this afternoon, the Boy Scouts of America made official a policy that’s been in the work for months: gay youth will no longer be excluded from the troop. As for gay adults, they’ll still have to sit on the sideline.

This, of course, causes a problem for all those gay youth who will one day grow up and become gay adults. Reuters reports that:

according to internal documents from the organization, "when youth members become adults, they ‘must meet the requirements of our adult standards’ to remain in the group."

So, will gay boy scouts have to reenter the closet to participate in the organization when they get to be adults?

The new policy is certainly a victory for gay youth and their families, but it’s one that comes with a certain amount of confusion. It’s okay to be gay in the Boy Scouts, but only if you’re a boy.